Jump to content

Just purchased 2015 Toyota Avalon XLE Base


RonH

Recommended Posts

Haven't posted since purchased 2010 Highlander Limited new in 2010. Great car! Who has owned a 2015 XLE Avalon Base (not Premium) the longest? What potential problems should I look for since purchasing new last week? Traded in a 2002 Avalon XL with 155,000 miles on it also in good shape. Thanks in advance for any appreciated comments!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

(The Forum signup only showed 2014 as an available year, but I just bought a 2015)

I purchased my 2015 base XLE about two weeks ago. Unlike some who have complained that the 2015 was made stiffer and translates more of the road to the driver, I really like the suspension and handling improvements for 2015. However, I have six complaints so far:

1) I chose the light gray interior. The front dash deck (under the windshield above the instruments) is black, so there's no upward reflection onto the winshield. HOWEVER, the rear deck (up behind the rear passenger seats) retains the light gray coloring (and I presume the tan interior would be the same). Driving during the daytime reflects major sunlight up onto the rear window, making the window appear cloudy/dirty when viewing throught the driver's rearview mirror. This is a bad oversight in the interior appointment! The rear deck should be non-reflective black like the front dash deck.

2) The compression-type locking mechanism for the steering column is definitely inferior to the old spring-loaded ratchet type in my old '97 Camry. Since it is almost impossible to get in or out of the driver's seat without unlocking the steering column, I fear this compression type of locking mechanism will become loose and ineffective, and it eventually will fail.

3) The "engine immobilizer" operates any time the ignition, on, and accessory are off. It blinks the red dash symbol. Separately, the alarm is set when the car is locked, but it also uses the same blinking red indicator. I was easily misled into thinking the car was "locked" when I saw the immobilizer's indication, even though the car was not yet locked. The two systems should have separate indicators. The car lacks an "auto locking" feature except when it is unlocked and then nothing is opened for about a minute. The ability to set an auto-locking feature would be an improvement so that one could simply exit the vehicle and it would lock automatically (of course not doing so if a smart key is inside).

4) I would like one additional feature available in the "display" section: Average Speed. Surely the data is available, and that statistic would be especially useful on long trips.

5) A lock, operated by the mechanical key, should be available on the center console between the front seats.

6) Lastly, WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET POWER-FOLDING MIRRORS?? Manually folding mirrors are silly when you figure that you have to get out, run around to the passenger side, fold the passenger side mirror, run back around and get back into the driver's seat, just to get into the garage. Then reverse the silly routine when you pull out of the garage the next morning. Of course doing all this silly routine in a rainstorm or when it's snowing makes it even worse! (and p.s. Don't make the folding mirrors linked to shifting into reverse like some other manufacturers' implementations. The driver should control when the mirrors are folded, but perhaps whenever the car is moving forward more than 5 mph they should auto-unfold. More engineering is needed, but please let's get them soon!)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Forums


News


Membership